The present invention relates to safety railings for helicopter landing pads, or helipads, and particularly to a pivotable railing normally in a horizontal position flush with or slightly below the surface of the landing pad and responsive to the landing of a helicopter to pivot into an upright position for protecting passengers entering or leaving the landing area.
Helicopter landing pads are often located on elevated platforms, sometimes for reasons of limitations in available space, but more often to elevate the landing surface above surrounding obstructions so as to facilitate landing and taking off. Helicopter landing pads are commonly utilized on offshore drilling rigs, for example, and typically are elevated above surrounding structures on the rig to provide a clear path for the helicopter during takeoff and landing. In addition to their location above and away from nearby obstacles, the structure of such helipads is further restricted by the requirement that no projection can extend more than six inches above the surface of the helipad, again for the safety of the helicopter crew and passengers.
Such helipads are typically reached by means of stairways which, for the safety of the users, require the provision of handrails. However, because of the rule prohibiting projections above the surface of the helipad, the top few stairs and any landing at the top of the stairs cannot now have such handrails. This is extremely hazardous to persons entering or leaving the helicopter pad area, particularly in exposed areas where adverse weather conditions might be encountered. The hazardous nature of such pads is exemplified by the fact that, as a normal precaution, safety nets are usually hung around the perimeter of the helipad. However, for high-use areas, such as the stairways and landings leading to the helipad, an urgent need exists for additional safety equipment.